


I'd Do Anything (For You)

by ce1iejustadreamer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ben is a nerd with a capital OBLIVIOUS, Bisexual Ben Solo, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, I did SO much research goddamnit, M/M, Medical School, My First Work in This Fandom, Rey pretends to be a guy, Rose and Paige and Poe have a bakery, Slow Burn, Soft Ben Solo, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Work In Progress, my first fanfic ever actually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:53:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26420686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ce1iejustadreamer/pseuds/ce1iejustadreamer
Summary: Rey Jacobson's biggest dream is to become a medical doctor. But in the 1920s Harvard Medical School isn't exactly welcoming to brilliant young women. So she does what any girl would do- she creates a fake identity and becomes Mr. Robert Jacobson. Will anything stand in the way?
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 15
Kudos: 22





	1. Meetcute on a Train

August 1921

Rey adjusted the blue tie that was currently attempting to cut off her air supply. August in Boston was always an ordeal. The summers were often just as hot as the winters were frigid. Rey grimaced at the tweed coat hanging by her door, draping it over her arm and walking out the door. She strode towards the North End station, hoping to catch the next streetcar.

Once in the car and safely settled, Rey reached in her bag to grab her book- a murder mystery by someone named Christie. For the first few stops, nothing extraordinary happened, except of course a fictional murder. When she looked up to check which stop the car was at, she found someone else staring at her.

He was sitting in the seat opposite from her. His hair was unkempt and there were dark circles under his eyes. When their eyes met, he jumped a bit in his seat, and Rey could see a flush creeping up his neck. He held up something, a book with a blue cover- the same blue cover that was currently in Rey's own hands. She smiled back and held up her own copy in a tiny salute before turning away to tuck it into her bag and stand up.

The streetcar came to an abrupt halt, and Rey gasped, losing her balance and starting to fall back. Instead of hitting the floor, like she'd expected, she landed on something large and solid. Something that seemed to grunt when she fell on it. She stood up as quickly as she could and turned around, fiddling with the watch on her right wrist. It was the man who'd been reading the same book.

"Hey there." The man offered a hand, "My name is Ben. What's yours?" 

Rey looked up at him, expecting his gruff voice to be matched with an irritated expression. Instead she saw one dimple in his cheek and a hint of white teeth. Almost involuntarily, she though about how sweet his smile was and hoped to see it again. She stopped worrying her watch and reached out to hold his hand.

"I'm Re-Robert." She blushed at her mistake, cursing herself for almost revealing her identity before she even reached the school.

Ben chuckled, "Well, Robert, it was a pleasure to meet you, but it seems we've reached our stop." He tipped his hat and stepped past her towards the car doors. 

Rey followed him out the doors and stepped down onto the pavement. She saw Ben's tall figure mesh into the rest of the crowd and sighed, starting to walk down Brookline Avenue. She did only have a half hour to get to her first class.

Rey stopped walking to admire the large stone building adorned with the familiar crimson flags. She walked towards the entrance, under the words "Harvard Medical School", and smiled. She'd met with her advisor the week before to select her classes for her first term. Rey's first class that day was anatomy on the first floor. She rushed down the stone hallway to find the right room number. Slipping into her seat five minutes before class, Rey dutifully took out her notebook and started writing. 

-

When the lecturer finally announced that his weary class was free to go, the boy sitting next to her sighed "Gosh. I thought old Dr. Smith would never shut up. I'm Finn, by the way."

Rey snorted and answered, "I'm Robert. You're a first year as well?"

"That I am. Dr. Smith is my advisor. He's brilliant, but he's a bit long-winded." Finn laughed. "Do you have time to run out for a bite? I know this great bakery on Kent Street!" Rey's stomach growled, and Finn laughed again, "I guess that's just as good as an answer!"

They walked in companionable silence to the bakery, in a red brick building with the name "Rose's" painted on the door. They swung the door open, revealing a tiny brightly lit interior. Rey and Finn walked closer to see the chalkboard mounted behind the wooden counter. A girl popped up behind the counter, with a smudge of white powder in her dark hair, setting down a tray of some kind of shiny yellow cake.

The girl tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear as she spoke. "What can I do for you?"

Finn smiled and answered, "Good afternoon Rose! Could I have a few of those butter rolls that I had the other day?"

Rose laughed. "Of course- Paige is almost done with a batch- if you don't mind waiting a few minutes more? And what can I do for you, Mr...?"

Rey jumped, realizing that Rose was talking to her. "Mr. Robert Jacobson, pleasure to meet you, Rose. What was it that you just set out?"

"That's one of my favorites- honey glazed lemon poundcake. How many slices would you like?"

"I think two should be sufficient. Would you mind wrapping them separately?" Rey chuckled, wondering if her own advisor wouldn't mind a slice as a first-day gift, and if not, well then, that just meant more for her.

While Rey was lost in her own thoughts, Finn began to tease Rose, "By the way, may I ask what that is in your hair?"

Smiling, Rose deftly shook out her braid and redid it. "That must have been a bit of flour from this morning! BB got into a bag of flour in the back, and the first thing I had to do this morning was clean up her mess. Did I get it all?"

"Yes, I think so- it was just a bit anyways."

Rey looked up and asked, "Who is BB?"

Rose pointed to a calico cat sitting by the door of the shop, serenely washing her ears. "There she is, the little rascal. She's our mouser and occasional chaos-bringer."

"She looks devious, as always." Finn walked over to stroke her fur. As soon as he'd pet her a few times, BB reached up with her paw and swatted his hand.

Finn laughed, but before he said anything else, a taller version of Rose walked up to the counter with a paper bag. "Who ordered the butter rolls?"

"That would be me, thanks Paige! How much do I owe?" Finn pulled a few coins out of his jacket pocket. 

"Two cents a roll, so four cents please Finn!" Paige held out the paper bag for Finn to take.

While Finn handed money to Paige, Rose reached to the tray of poundcake behind her and put two slices in boxes. "Mr. Jacobson, it'll be six cents total for you!"

Rey pulled a dime from her pocket and handed it to Rose. "Thank you Ms. Rose. It was a delight to meet you, and these look divine."

Rose reached for the four cents Finn had given Paige and handed them to Rey. She waved and called out, "Hope to see you again soon!"

As Finn and Rey walked towards the door, Finn looked back and called out, "Goodbye Rose! Goodbye Paige!"

Once the door was shut, Rey asked, "How did you know about that bakery?"

Finn's face lit up with a grin. "My best friend, Poe, is the co-owner with Rose and her older sister, Paige. The four of us grew up together, and we've always stayed close."

Rey chuckled at the dreamy look on her new friend's face. "What's he like?"

"Oh, he's fantastic. He's really smart, he makes the best apple pie you've ever tasted in your life, and he's a whiz pilot, and he's just fantastic."

"Damn Finn, what can't he do?" Rey teased.

Finn laughed, "Well I suppose he is a little hotheaded. I've pulled him out of more scuffles than I can count! But overall, he's really great!"

-

When they were back at the entrance to the school, Rey and Finn parted ways to meet with their respective research advisors. Rey walked up a flight of stairs to find her advisor, a Dr. Cutler. She stepped into his office space and quietly slipped in the chair across from his desk. He turned around and spotted her, saying a quick goodbye and setting down the earpiece and telephone he'd been talking into.

"Good afternoon Jacobson. I hope you found my office more easily this time?"

Rey blushed and quickly answered, "Yes, I did. Again, my apologies for being so late to our last meeting. I've actually brought you a slice of cake to help make up for it." Rey offered the white box that she'd gotten from Rose's.

Dr. Cutler took the proffered box and opened the lid to look at it. "What type of cake is it?"

"It's a type of lemon poundcake, if my memory serves."

"Ah. I see. Well, thank you for the gesture, it's very kind of you. But I'm afraid I've never been fond of sweets. But my other student, Ben, has a massive sweet tooth- I'm sure he'd appreciate it." Before Rey could say a word, the professor had walked past her to open the door of his office, calling out, "Solo! Come in here, I want you to meet my new student!"

Rey turned around just as a tall man closed the door behind him. The old professor held out the poundcake and Ben reached out a large hand to take it. Rey looked up at his face, and to her surprise, saw the same man she'd bumped into on the streetcar that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This is my first fanfic piece (that I'm actually posting wow I must be crazy)! More to come! Feel free to give me tag suggestions! At the rate I've been writing the story, I think this will end up being ~10 chapters long? And hopefully updates once a week? But who knows! Let me know what you think! - C
> 
> (Also sorry for the super cheesy summary, I might have to change that later!)
> 
> (ALSO holy shit the amount of research I did for this chapter alone is mind-melting. I hope it was worth it...)


	2. Lemon Poundcake

Ben's gaze met hers, reaching out a hand to her for the second time that day. His eyes widened in recognition as the professor said, "Solo, this is Robert Jacobson. He's a first year and his preliminary research proposal was absolutely brilliant, if a bit idealistic. He wants to design and test a heart-lung machine. As you know, Max Frey tried to do it a few decades ago, but it failed because..." The professor began to pace around his office, debating the pros and cons of Rey's proposal with himself.

As the professor was talking, Ben mouthed to Rey, "Long time, no see." Rey smiled, and Ben seemed encouraged to go on. He held up the white box and pointed to it, clearly asking what it was.

Rey giggled and mouthed back, 'Honey glazed lemon poundcake!" Ben broke into a grin just as Professor Cutler turned back around. When he saw Ben smiling, he frowned, asking, "Solo? Are you quite alright?"

Ben's smile vanished. "I'm fine professor. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it just seemed for a second that you might have been, dare I say, smiling, as if you were happy." The professor chuckled and Rey snickered.

Ben blushed and stiffly said, "I was just happy about the cake Professor. Robert, I'm glad to have met you. Professor, may I return to my research? Or is there anything else you need from me?"

"I suppose not." The professor stopped to think for a moment. "Actually, Solo, could you show Jacobson here around the lab?"

"Of course, Professor." Ben was stone-faced as he begrudgingly agreed.

Ignoring Ben's stoic attitude, Dr. Cutler said, "Perfect, it's settled! Now, the two of you may go. Good to see you Jacobson."

Ben led Rey out of the office. They walked down the hallway to a second door, this one conveniently labeled Cultler Cardiovascular Surgery Laboratory. Ben began his tour, saying, "This is the lab itself," he walked to the third open lab bench and pointed, "this will be your workspace-"

Rey interrupted, "Where is your workspace?"

Ben sighed. "I'm the second bench in, right over there. Now-"

Rey interrupted again with a smile, "Brilliant! We're practically bench-mates! We don't share the counter like normal bench-mates but we're still fairly close!" She could practically feel Ben's irritation, before the tension in his face cracked, like an egg, and his single dimple was revealed again.

With a small chuckle, Ben replied, "Yes, Robert. We are 'practically bench-mates'. Do you mind if we finish the tour now?"

The pair of medical students continued to walk around the lab, Ben showing Rey where she can find glass flasks, pipettes, and finally the workspace filled with tools and materials to create prototypes. Ben finished his tour by asking, "Any other questions?"

"I do have one- what's your project?"

Ben immediately stood up a little straighter, as if a puppetmaster had pulled on a string attached to the top of his skull. He started talking quickly, "I'm studying rheumatic fever- I'm sure you already know that it causes the mitral valve in the heart to thicken which causes problems with the heart itself being able to pump properly, but no one really knows exactly why the heart valve thickens, so I'm basically studying mitral valve thickness in mice, because they can serve as an approximate model for the disease and it's complications, and I've been working on seeing what drug treatments can change the way the system seems to function to see if there's a way to treat it-" Ben paused and took a breath for a moment. "I'm so sorry, I'm probably boring you."

"Not at all- I think it's fascinating! And it's clear you're passionate about it." Rey laughed. "I understand. I find myself boring people more often than not. But I don't find you boring."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ben walked Rey back to her lab bench. "Well, I suppose this is the end of the grand tour. But of course, if you have even a single question, please ask me, because we are, after all," Ben sighed dramatically, "'practically bench-mates.'"

At this, Rey cracked up, laughing at Ben's delivery enough that she needed to reach a hand to the wall to steady herself. Once Rey had managed to stop the stray fits of giggles, she said, "Well, Ben, it was truly a pleasure to meet you. I should go to my pathology class now so that I'm not late, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, yes, that sounds right." Once Rey was half out the lab door, Ben rushed over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait! Do you know where it is? Dr. Culter mentioned that you were particularly prone to getting lost, and you shouldn't be late on your first day with Dr. Franklin."

Rey felt the blood rush to her face and groaned, "Darn, Dr. Culter told you that I got finding his office, didn't he?"

"More like complained to me for the entirety of last week." Ben teased, "So, do you need help getting there or not?"

Silently, Rey looked down at her watch and slowly nodded.

Ben smiled and practically herded Rey out the door and down the stairs. After a series of turns and long, nearly identical hallways, Ben stopped walking and pointed at a door. Rey quipped, "I would never have managed to find the right room on time. Thank you Ben."

"It was nothing, Robert." Ben looked down at his shoes for a moment. "Robert, are you catching a streetcar from Kenmore Station after this class?" Rey jolted again at the unfamiliar name.

Rey furrowed her eyebrows quizzically. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like some company? Personally, the ride is not quite long enough to get any proper reading done, and it would be much more pleasant to, well, have a friend to talk with." Ben looked down again. "But of course, if you'd rather go alone, I understand."

"I'd appreciate your companionship, Ben." Rey put her hand on Ben's shoulder and met his gaze. 

Ben's grin took over his features. "Brilliant! I'll meet you here after your class is over then. What time?"

"I'll be out of class by five this evening- it's two hours. Does that work for you?"

"Yes, it's great!"

"Great! I'll see you when I'm out then!"

"Great. See you later!" Ben's grin faded, but he held up his hand and gave Rey a little wave goodbye.

"Great. Thanks Ben!"

Rey watched him walk down the hallway before opening the door and stepping into the pathology classroom. As Rey walked through the door, Ben turned back and watched her. He strolled back down the hallways and up to the stairs into the lab. Ben halfheartedly tried to continue his experiment, but after almost letting one of his experimental mice escape, he decided to call it quits for the day, deciding that he was too distracted to continue. At 4, he gathered his bag and coat and walked back to the entrance of Rey's classroom. An hour early to pick her up, he grabbed his book, a murder mystery, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", and leaned up with one shoulder against the wall to wait.

-

Rey continued to fidget throughout her pathology class. When she was finally excused, she quickly gathered up her notes and speedwalked out of the room, determined to beat Ben to their meeting spot in the hall. Much to her chagrin, when she stepped out, she immediately noticed Ben tucked up against the wall with their book. He was absorbed in the book and didn't even look up when the door opened. Rey decided to take the opportunity to scare him. She snuck up behind him, and quickly covered his eyes with her palms. 

Ben dropped his book and Rey felt the muscles in his back tense before he suddenly smiled and grabbed her hands, calling out, "Robert?" He turned around to face her, and Rey took a step back, realizing just how close together they were standing. By the way he suddenly dropped her hands and blushed, he noticed too.

They stood awkwardly until Ben cleared his throat. "I was right- it was you! Are you ready to walk to the station?"

She smiled, glad to feel the tension between them diminish. "Yes! Let's go!" Rey practically skips down the hallway, with a bemused Ben trailing behind her.

The twenty-minute walk to Kenmore Station is filled with one of the happiest discussions Rey has had in her short nineteen years of life. Ben regaled her with stories of growing up in Boston on Beacon Hill, visiting Cape Cod in the summers to sail with his father, and visiting his grandmother's incredible library collection.

They talked for all of the trip in the streetcar until they're almost at Ben's stop. Ben turned in his seat to look Rey in the eye. Their knees bumped together after his sudden movement but neither Ben nor Rey moved. Ben just took a deep breath and combed a hand through his thick dark hair. As Rey found herself wishing that it was her hand running through his hair instead, she realized that Ben said something to her and she didn't hear it. "What?" 

Rey blushed, but Ben just laughed patiently and asked again, "Will you meet me on the streetcar tomorrow morning?" He looks bashful, like a schoolboy asking his crush on a date, and Rey just smiles and nods.

His goal accomplished and his stop imminent, Ben stands up and walks toward the streetcar doors. When he steps off, he stands at the glass doors for a minute until they close again, waving goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Ben's definitely falling for Robert/Rey! I know this update is a bit early- I just got really excited about the story :)) I'll post the next chapter by next Saturday at the latest (barring any complete real world disasters in my life)! The next chapter will take place a few months later and there will be some juicy secrets and some fun moments! Feel free to ask me about the historical setting and research that I've done- it's pretty interesting. As always, let me know what you think!


	3. Rose's

December 1921

Rey slumped in her usual seat next to Finn. In the past four months, it had become their tradition to visit Rose's bakery every Friday after their anatomy lecture. Every other anatomy class they had was spent in the dissection labs with cadavers, and they'd quickly discovered that neither of them had much of an appetite after those classes were over.

When they were walking back from Rose's, Rey holding her usual two boxes of honey-lemon poundcake in hand, Finn asked, "Hey Robbie, what are you doing on tonight?"

Rey looked over at her friend. "Well, I was gonna go to lab after my pathology class- I have to work on the integration of the blood oxygenation and blood pumping systems for my prototype-"

Finn interrupted her excitedly, "But you don't have any plans for later tonight, right? Say, around 10 or so?"

"Nope, no plans that late. Why do you ask?"

Finn was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. "Well, there's this amazing place I just found out about- I've been dying to visit, but I don't want to go alone! So, Robbie, my good chap, my dear friend, pound cake connoisseur, please come with me?"

"What exactly is the nature of this establishment?" Rey frowned. "I don't want to get into any trouble, Finn."

"I promise, there won't be any trouble. We'll be fine!"

"Where is it?" Rey shivered and tried to tuck her blue winter coat tighter around her body.

With a roguish grin, Finn said, "Don't worry about that- just meet me in front of Rose's at 9:45 on Friday night! It's not far from there!"

As Rey and Finn walked up the front steps of school, Finn looked back and called out, "And bring whoever you keep buying that pound cake for! It'll be a blast!" Rey blushed and walked towards her lab.

-

When she opened the door opened, Ben looked around the edge of his bench to see who had walked in. The second he realized it was Rey, he smiled and waved to her, saying "Good afternoon Robert!"

Rey flushed and silently walked toward Ben and her lab bench, thinking of what Finn had said to her earlier. She held out the paper box with Ben's slice of pound cake. When Ben reached for it, his hand brushed hers and he shivered, silently accepting the dessert and quickly turning away.

They worked in silence for the next few hours until Rey picked up her bag and started to walk out to the door. Before she opened it and went to her pathology class, she turned back and called out, "Ben?"

Ben jerked to attention. "What is it?"

"A classmate- no, a friend of mine, invited me to go out with him and a few other friends tonight, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with us. It should be fun- we're trying to get to the place by ten, and Finn said it would be fine if I brought someone and-" Realizing that she was starting to ramble, Rey cut herself off. "Well, anyways, do you want to come?"

"I'd love to. Where should I meet you?"

Rey beamed, "Well, it'll be quite late, so I was going to run home first. If it works for you, we could meet at your station at 9:30 or so and walk the rest of the way from Kenmore? The place where I was going to meet with Finn is quite close to there."

Ben smiled back, "Great. I'll see you at 9:30."

Rey just nodded and quickly walked out the lab door, heart pounding as if it were auditioning for the school's marching band. She sped through the remainder of her day with a broad grin.

-

At 9:30, Rey was leaning out the door of her streetcar, at Ben's station, wrapped up in her blue winter coat. She saw Ben's dark shock of hair towering above everyone else in the station. Ben was standing in place, spinning around, clearly looking for her. 

Rey giggled and shouted out to him, "Ben! Over here!"

Ben trotted over to the streetcar door she was standing in. "Hey!" The two of them sat down in the streetcar and started to talk.

"So, Robert, where exactly are we going?" Ben smirked. "Or is it a secret?"

Rey worried her silver wristwatch. "Well, err...Finn, my friend, didn't exactly tell me the name of the place we were going to- only to meet him at 9:45." Rey shrugged.

"Are we going to be doing anything illegal? I'd like to be prepared." Ben raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"No, I asked Finn the same thing! He said it'd be fine." Rey held out a hand. "I'll even shake on it."

Ben's brow furrowed. "You can't be serious."

"Sorry to disappoint. We have to shake on it." Rey continued to extend her hand. Ben sighed and reluctantly shook her hand.

"If you say so Robert." Rey and Ben passed the rest of the streetcar ride in quiet conversation, getting off at Kenmore Station and walking to Rose's, where Rey had promised to meet Finn.

Ben saw the red brick and the sign on the door and stopped dead in his tracks. "Fuck."

"What? What is it Ben?" Rey looked over to see Ben, growing paler by the second, running a hand through his dark hair. 

"Fuck. Robert, is this where you were supposed to meet your friend?"

"Yes, why?" Rey frowned.

Ben groaned. "You're certain?"

"Yes- it's the bakery I buy our pound cake from." Rey put a hand on Ben's shoulder, and he jumped, muttering under his breath.

"Shit. Robert, I have to tell you something-" Ben was interrupted when Finn walked up behind him.

"Robbie! You made it, I almost thought you wouldn't come!" Finn walked up to Rey and slung an arm over her shoulders. "Introduce me to your friend! Is this the one who you buy desserts for every Friday?"

Rey blushed and shrugged Finn's arm off her shoulders with a laugh. "Finn, this is my friend Ben. We work in lab together. Ben, this is Finn, the arse who convinced me to go out tonight. Where are we going, Finn?"

Finn smirked. "It's really close, I promise." Finn looked around and hustled Ben and Rey around to the back of the brick building that was Rose's. There was a red wooden door set into the brick, with old peeling paint. 

Finn pulled out a slip of paper, reading it off to himself. He ignored the heavy brass door knocker and rapped his knuckles on the door six times. The door cracked open and Finn whispered something to the person on the other side.

To Rey's surprise, the door swung open to reveal Paige, Rose's older sister, who she'd met a few times in the bakery. Paige wore a short, silky, green dress. Rey admired the beading and the cut of her hem before she shook herself and followed Finn and Paige inside.

They walked down a hallway to find a set of stairs. When they reached the basement, they found dozens of people dressed in evening suits and dresses even more elaborate than Paige's.

Paige led them over to a short boy wearing suspenders and a newsboy cap. When they got closer, the boy waved to Rey, shouting in a familiar voice, "Robbie! You came!"

Rey squinted for a moment, trying to determine how she knew the boy. After a second, she gasped. "Rose?? Is that you?"

Rose laughed and hooked her thumbs into her suspenders. "Yes, though I suppose right now, you can call me Thomas."

"What is this place?" Rey looked around in wonder, realizing that there were a number of people in curious attire, like Rose's.

"It's a special kind of speakeasy. Paige and I grew up in New York, and we worked in a place like this last year, called Hamilton's Lodge. We moved to Boston and started the bakery first, but quickly realized there wasn't as much of a scene here and started this place."

"Rose that's amazing. This place is incredible. I've never seen anything like it!" Rey continued to gaze around, awestruck. "Ben, look at how splendid everyone looks!"

Ben looked around nervously. When he looked at Rey's delighted smile, he relaxed and straightened his shoulders. "Yeah, I suppose it is pretty wonderful." He smiled.

Rose grabbed Rey's arm and dragged her over to the bar, saying, "Come here, we can get drinks and there's a friend I want to introduce you to! Ben, you too!"

Rose brought them behind a woman wearing an ivory silk evening gown and matching boa. "Ben, Robbie, meet Pearl!"

The woman turned around and her eyes widened. "Solo?! What are you doing here??" Rey noticed that the woman had a bit of stubble on her cheeks.

Ben muttered quietly, "Fuck." He took a deep breath and said, "Hello Dameron. How are you?"

Rey and Rose looked on in shock before Rose broke the silence, "How do you two know each other??"

The woman looked at Ben and asked, "Can I tell them?"

Ben sighed, tangling a hand in his hair. "Sure, I suppose at this point, it's bound to get out sometime." He laughed weakly.

The woman took a deep breath. "Well, I guess you're right, it's best to just spit it out. First of all, it's a pleasure to meet you, Robbie. My name is Poe Dameron, but I go by 'Pearl' here. Solo...well, Ben, is a former lover of mine." Poe's voice had deepened while he explained. Ben looked up at the ceiling, looking as if he wanted to float up and away from the awkward reunion.

Rose laughed, "Damn it Pearl, I was almost worried for a second- I thought you were going to tell me that you and Ben had robbed a bank or something. I'm glad it's just that you used to see each other. Now, let me get those drinks."

As Rose waltzed away to retrieve their drinks, Rey smiled and asked, "How did you meet?"

This time Ben laughed and started to talk. "That's a long story for another time. But in summary, I used to dress in drag too, as 'Kyla Ren'. I met Dameron at another party much like this one." He blushed.

The song that had been playing ended when Rose walked back up to the group, holding four different glasses. "Here- I have drinks for everyone! Poe, here's your usual mint julep! Rey and Ben, I guessed based on the lemon poundcake- I hope a French 75 is okay for you two. And here's the Mary Pickford, for me!"

Taking the proffered glass, Rey asked Ben, "Do you know what exactly is in this?"

Ben took a sip of his drink and thought for a minute. "If I had to guess, it tastes like lemon and champagne?" He took a second sip. "And maybe some gin?"

"Hmmm." Rey took a sip. "This is delicious!" She looked over at Rose and waved. "Thank you this is delicious!" Rose walked over and started a conversation with Rey while Poe leaned over to whisper to Ben.

"Hey, Solo, I have one of your old dresses in the back, if you're feeling up to it!" Poe winked and gestured to Rey.

"Why exactly is my dress here?" Ben frowned. "I thought I'd taken them all out of your apartment."

Poe shrugged. "Me too. But I was looking through my closet for my dark red dress with the gold embroidery, and I grabbed it, thinking it was mine, but when I got here I realized it was about two sizes too large."

Ben looked over at Rey and Rose, engrossed in conversation and tossed back the rest of his drink. "Sure. Why not?" He followed Poe back up the stairs to a closet while Rose and Rey continued their conversation.

"Hey, want to dance?" Rose asked Rey. 

Rey shrugged and answered, "Why not?" They walked out to the dance floor and Rey grasped Rose's hand and started to put her hand up on Rose's shoulder. 

Rose laughed and said, "Okay, that's one way of letting a girl know that you want her to lead." 

Rey felt her whole face turn red, and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry- I'm a rotten dancer- I always forget the steps."

"It's okay! I haven't had a chance to practice like this in a while." Rose chuckled and started to take the lead.

Halfway through the song, Poe and an incredibly tall woman in a red dress stepped on the dance floor. When Rey looked closer, she realized it was actually Ben all dolled up. When the music ended, Rey and Rose walked back to the bar for another drink. They'd each had two shots of whiskey when Ben met them at the bar.

Ben reached out a hand and asked Rey, "May I have the next dance?"

"Of course, Kyla!" Rey giggled and stood up, a little bit unsteady, and Ben guided her on the dance floor. She flushed when his hand landed on her waist and he pulled her close, cradling the hand that wasn't on his shoulder close to his chest.

They danced in silence until Rey looked up and into Ben's eyes. Ben's breath hitched and they stopped moving across the dance floor. Ben's gaze glanced down to her lips, and he started to bend down closer to her. Rey found herself rising on her tiptoes to meet him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! So there are some surprises in this chapter! Comment if anything is confusing or needs clarification or if you want to see some of my research/inspiration. I'm not blessed enough to have a beta reader but I hope you still enjoy this!!


	4. Pillows

Ben had beautiful lips. The thought flashed in Rey's mind before she could stop it. Surprised, Rey stumbled, falling towards Ben. He blinked, shaking his head and catching her shoulders, steadying her. 

Ben sighed and rested his forehead against Rey's, asking, "Robert, are you okay?"

Ben felt Rey's small hands twine into his unruly hair. He gasped as his hands tightened around her waist. He sighed again, extricating himself from Rey. "Robert, you're drunk. We should go. Let's say goodbye to everyone. I'll even catch the train with you."

Rey just smiled up at Ben dreamily. "You're so pretty."

Pinching the bridge of his (now very flushed) nose, Ben grabs Rey's hand and drags her over to where Finn and Poe are standing on the edge of the dance floor. He taps Finn's shoulder, "Hey, Finn, right? Can you watch Robert for a minute while I go change?" Ben gestures to his dress. "This isn't exactly the safest way to go home, especially considering the business with the Secret Court last year."

Nodding, Finn grabs Rey's arm. "Ben, go change. Poe and I can keep an eye on Robbie here." Finn jutted his chin at Poe, ordering him to grab Rey's other arm. They walked towards the bar and sat Rey down. Finn called out to the bartender, "Hey! Could we get a water over here?"

Poe and Finn made Rey down the entire glass of cold water. She was sucking on her last ice cube when she saw Ben walking back into the room and she began to smile. 

Poe noticed her smile and asked, "Damn Peanut, why are you floating on a cloud?" Poe followed her gaze and chuckled. "Well Peanut. I can't blame you. Solo cuts a fine figure."

-

Ben and Rey walked up onto the street and started walking toward the streetcar station. When Rey tripped one too many times, Ben smirked and silently tucked her arm into his. She felt his warmth pressing along the side, through her thin blue coat.  
They stepped into the station and onto the streetcar. It was quiet and empty. Ben sat down, and when Rey was still standing, gently pressed down on her shoulders, urging her to sit next to him.

"Robert- what stop do you normally get off at? And what's your address? You're too drunk to be trusted to go home alone, and I don't know what you have to do tomorrow." Ben asked.

"I won't tell you!!" Rey jumped up out of her seat, before Ben unceremoniously pulled her back down.

Laughing, Ben tried to ask again, "Please Robert? I really need to know how to get you home, unless you want to be stuck coming home with me." Ben chuckled.

Rey stopped trying to stand up and sat for a moment, silent. "Great!" She sat down in her seat and leaned against Ben, snuggling into his side and moving his arm around her shoulders. Ben's entire face turned beet red and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it and sat, stunned into silence for a moment.

"Robert, you're certain you are comfortable coming home with me?" He looked into Rey's face, searching for an answer.

Rolling her eyes, Rey laughed and said, "Of course! You're my best friend, Ben." She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Ben took a deep breath and tried to stay still in his seat. He kept his eyes trained on the streetcar doors, refusing to look at the person nestled against him. When the car stopped at his station, Ben gently shook Rey awake and tugged her out of the car, down the street, to the door of his apartment on Beacon Hill. 

The two of them walked into the small space as Ben started to panic, mentally trying to figure out what their sleeping arrangements would be. He walked Rey over to his bedroom, with his bed neatly made and his sheets tucked. Ben reached and slid Rey's winter coat off her shoulders, carefully hanging it in his wardrobe.

He pointed to the bed and told Rey, "You can sleep here. The bathroom is right across the hall. You can leave your shoes and other things by the chair over there, and if you get cold, there are spare blankets in the bottom drawer of this dresser." He spun around, trying to make sure he didn't forget anything she could need. "Oh, and if you need anything, just let me know."

Rey crawled under the covers. She looked up at him and murmured, "You."

Ben sputtered, "What!?"

"I need you." Rey blushed, realizing how that must have sounded, and quickly started explaining, "I mean, I get cold really easily, and I won't get so cold if you sleep in her too." Rey patted the edge of the bed and internally congratulated herself for coming up with a good excuse. "There's plenty of space, and I'm used to sharing." She smiled brightly.

Ben knelt on the bed next to her. "I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable, Robert." He blushed, fidgeting as he spoke.

"I'd never be uncomfortable with you, Ben. Besides, I don't think you don't have another bed in this apartment, and this," she swept her hand over the tops of the sheets, "is large enough for both of us." She grinned.

Ben hesitated. "I suppose, as long as you're alright with it." He readied himself for bed, slowly taking off his outer layers and shoes, placing them next to Rey's. Just as he was about to lay down on the bed, he stood back up and strode back into the hall. When he stepped back into his bedroom, he was holding the red dress he'd worn earlier, brushing it off and hanging it in the wardrobe as well.

Quietly, Ben sat on the edge of the bed and settled down to sleep. Rey couldn't help but notice the way his thin white button down stretched tightly over his shoulders, even with the topmost buttons undone. She watched the heavy rise and fall of his chest and the fluttering pulse in the delicate skin of his neck. He really was a pretty man.

Rey turned her back to him and focused on evening out her own breathing and trying to fall asleep.

-

She woke to a weight across her hips and a warm breeze ruffling her short hair. Still half-asleep, she tried to tuck herself further under the blankets, only to press against something warm and immovable. She cracked her eyes open, starting to panic when she didn't recognize the room around her. She stopped moving and was about to scream when she looked down and saw a familiar hand curled around her hip. She remembered going home to Ben's apartment and deciding to share the bed.

Rey tried to gently lift the arm that was effectively pinning her to both Ben and the mattress, but her attempts only made Ben's arm tighten and hold her closer in his sleep. Rey froze and rapidly tried to come up with a way to get out of the bed without waking Ben up.

Before she could make another move, she felt the body behind her exhale. Ben's warm breath brushed the back of her neck, and she gasped. Ben froze, before suddenly throwing his arm away from Rey like he'd been shocked. He sat straight up, breathing heavily, and suddenly awake, looking like he'd been caught in a mousetrap. He looked around for an escape, kneeling on top of the bed, and quickly grabbed a pillow, holding it against his body like a shield.

"Fuck. Fuck. FUCK." They stared in silence at one another for a moment before Ben started to speak. "Robert, I'm absolutely appalled at my behavior. I should never have allowed myself to sleep in the same space as you. I should have known better, I-"

Rey quickly pulled Ben into a hug to stop him from panicking. Ben stopped breathing. his hands hovering over her sides. "Ben, Ben, it's fine. It was just an accident. So what?" She laughed. "It's definitely better than snoring." Ben still looked pale but he nodded and smiled. She let him go, stepping off the bed and stretching. "So, do you have food for breakfast here, or should we run out and grab something to eat?"

Her suggestion broke the tension in the room. Ben laughed and the two of them began to make plans for the rest of their day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this update is a day late! It's kinda spicy, lmk what you think. Google the Secret Court of 1920 at Harvard, it's really messed up. I may go through at some point to edit and clean up all the chapters, or change the chapter titles or whatever :))

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fanfic piece (that I'm actually posting wow I must be crazy)! More to come! Feel free to give me tag suggestions! At the rate I've been writing the story, I think this will end up being ~10 chapters long? And hopefully updates once a week? But who knows! Let me know what you think! - C
> 
> (Also sorry for the super cheesy summary, I might have to change that later!)
> 
> (ALSO holy shit the amount of research I did for this chapter alone is mind-melting. I hope it was worth it...)


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